Website design By BotEap.comThe huge Chinook (or King) salmon easily tops the list of all the trophy fish that recreational anglers dream of catching. With normal sizes ranging from 20-30 pounds and true trophy fish weighing in the 60-pound range, along with incredible power, Chinook Salmon are one of the toughest fighting fish you can expect to set hooks on.

Website design By BotEap.comHere are some tips that will greatly increase your chances of success when it comes to navigating a Chinook salmon. Be sure to check out the link at the bottom of the page for links to other salmon fishing tips!

Website design By BotEap.comTiming and location are key when trolling for Chinook salmon. There is no point in spending hours on the water and gallons of fuel trolling when the fish just aren’t “yet”. A good method of tracking the Chinook’s progress as they migrate is to keep track of your local fishing boards and tackle shops and what’s going on. Also, knowing where the Chinooks will be when they arrive is essential. Chinook, like most salmon, will have specific areas that they will congregate in before moving to rivers to spawn. These are the points on which you should focus your attention.

Website design By BotEap.comPay close attention to your speed and the direction you are trolling. Salmon will usually try to keep their nose pointed upstream when given the choice. This allows them to hunt prey by both sight and smell. You can use this to your advantage by following the flow of the tide whenever possible. This increases the amount of time the Chinook has to see, feel and smell its lure and react to it.

Website design By BotEap.com‘Match the hatch’ to catch more and bigger King Salmon. While it is true that you can catch Chinook on any lure on any given day, presenting them with a lure that resembles the one they are feeding on, both in size and color, will greatly increase the chances of them taking a bite. Quite often salmon will follow a lure for some distance before deciding to actually eat it.

Website design By BotEap.comYour choice of hooks can greatly affect your success rate when fishing for Chinook Salmon. Pay particular attention to hooks that come pre-rigged on lures as they are often poor quality and dull right out of the box. The same can be said for pre-tied herring rigs. Often you only get one or two chances for a set of hooks when a Chinook attacks your lure, having a high quality sharp appearance will increase your chances that when they bite the hooks will stick.

Website design By BotEap.comSmell plays an important factor in Chinook salmon fishing. This means both the smell you want them to smell and the smell you don’t want to smell. This means you need to keep your lures free from fish-turning odors like grease, gasoline, and even oil from your own fingers. Cleaning is a must! Giving your lures a positive scent is definitely part of a successful Chinook salmon fishing trip. The generous application of your lures helps to ring the dinner bell and entice them to bite.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen fishing for Chinook salmon, you need to know how deep to go. Chinook salmon are not afraid to go deep, they love to feed on small bottom fish and are rarely found at a “suspended” depth. In most cases, to be very successful fishing for Chinook Salmon, you must do what we call ‘knuckle dragging’. This means you have to keep your downrigger right on the bottom. The goal is to keep your lure in the bottom 5 feet of the water column where the Chinooks feed.

Website design By BotEap.comDon’t be afraid to think outside the box when fishing for Chinook salmon. Just because everyone and their cousin is fishing at a particular bar doesn’t mean that’s the best spot for you. Look for other waiting areas that other people may have missed or are receiving less pressure. This may mean you are targeting fewer fish, but fish that are more receptive to your introduction.

Website design By BotEap.comChinook salmon fishing, like anything else, takes practice and experience. Keep records of what top you fish for what lures, where and at what depth. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at fishing boards and local tackle shops to find out what has worked for other people. While it’s always good to try new lures and techniques, it’s a good idea to start with the ‘standard lures’ to start fishing. Over time, you’ll learn which lures and techniques work best for you and put the most Chinook salmon in your boat.